Baby on Board
by Rachel D
Summary: Sam leaps into a toddler in West Palm Beach in the fall of '86, and has to keep his host's older brother from being killed by a school bus. COMPLETED!
1. Chapter 1

_**BABY ON BOARD**_

A/N: One of the few stories where Sam leaps into a toddler, and his mission is to keep his host's older brother from getting hit and killed by a school bus.

 _"There's an old saying that goes, 'Yesterday's history, tomorrow's a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present.' Well, I've had some surprises in all my years of leaping—some wonderful, like being reunited with my former piano teacher; others, not so much, like leaping into a chimp, or when I find out that I'm supposed to keep someone from getting killed."_

 _—Dr. Sam Beckett_

 **CHAPTER 1**

 **November 1, 1986**

 _Oh, boy, never again,_ Dr. Sam Beckett thought to himself as he was enveloped by the familiar blue light. The last mission had him preventing a Laker Girl's murder, because according to the original history, her body wouldn't be found for six months. That wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that he'd leaped into a Laker Girl himself. And it sure didn't help matters that Al Calavicci, the observer for Project Quantum Leap was basically like a Rottweiler in heat the entire time.

When the haze faded, the first thing Sam did was look at his surroundings. He was lying on a very narrow bed with bars on the sides and an opening on top. At first, he thought he was in a hospital, but when he saw a mobile with undersea animals dangling over his head, he knew it was a crib. He also heard a man's voice saying, "Maria? I think he's coming around."

Sam very quickly looked up and down his body. He was lying on his back and wearing a pair of dark blue feet pajamas with a picture of Eeyore on them. _What the hell?_ he thought in alarm. _Don't tell me I've leaped into another chimp!_

If there was one leap Sam wished that he could forget, it was when he leaped into a chimp named Bobo. He didn't know which was worse, being a chimp, or getting mixed up in the space program. Think _Project X,_ only with NASA instead of the Air Force.

"Shh, it's okay, Xavier," the woman said tenderly as she stroked Sam's hair. "You just had another fever-seizure."

That's when he looked in a little mirror attached to the railing of the crib. Staring back at him was a Hispanic toddler with jet-black hair, olive skin, and deep brown eyes, not to mention half a mouthful of teeth. _Oh, my God, I'm a baby!_ he thought in dismay. _I must be at least a year and a half old!_

 _"Mama?"_ another little boy's voice interrupted. From the sound of it, Sam guessed that the other boy was about seven or eight years old. "I don't feel so good."

"Oh, boy," Sam murmured. He could tell that these parents would have their hands full dealing with not one but two sick kids—which, as he knew, sometimes came with the territory.

"Do you feel like you're about to throw up?" the mother asked as she approached the little boy to feel his forehead. Shaking his head, the boy sat down in the rocking chair next to the crib. When Sam got a good look at him, he saw that he was the spitting image of his mother, only his hair was much curlier than hers. He also had on Thunder-cats Underoos, which is why he was shivering.

"He feels warm, Luis," Maria told her husband as she stroked her older son's hair and ran her hands down his face while the boy curled up in a fetal position. "Can you stay with the boys while I get the thermometers from the bathroom?"

"All right," her husband agreed as he picked the boy up and held him on his lap. The boy laid his head on his father's shoulder as the man started rocking and stroking his hair and face, then paused to feel his forehead. "Shh, it's okay, Miguel."

Maria returned less than a minute later. "Here," she said, handing her husband one of the thermometers. While Luis took Miguel's temperature, Maria unzipped Sam's pajamas a little more and put the other thermometer under his arm. Three minutes later, she removed it and said, "Well, Xavier's temperature is 100. What about Miguel?"

"Same here," Luis answered as he took the thermometer out of Miguel's mouth and looked at it. "Why don't I put him back to bed, and you change the baby?"

Maria nodded as she brushed Miguel's hair off his forehead and felt it, then turned back to Sam as Luis picked up the now half-asleep Miguel and carried him out of the room.

 _Whoa!_ Sam thought in a mixture of shock, dread, and delight as Maria took off his pajamas and started removing the dirty diaper.

"No," he whimpered as he started kicking her away.

"Don't worry, baby, you'll be nice and clean in a few minutes," Maria said as she cleaned Sam up and put him in a fresh diaper and a pair of white pajamas with a picture of Cookie Monster on them. "There, you see? All better. _Dulces suenos, bebe."_

As soon as she left, Sam heard the portal door open, and Al stepped out, wearing a flower-print dress shirt in every color of the rainbow, tan khakis, white socks, dark brown penny loafers, and a wine-colored cardigan sweater, along with his trusty cigar. Normally, you should never smoke around babies, but since Al was a hologram, Sam decided it was okay.

"Aww, Sam, you look adorable," Al smiled lovingly.

"Al!" Sam exclaimed as he tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness came over him, so he ended up propping himself up on his elbows.

"Whoa, don't try to get up," Al told him. "When your counterpart first arrived in our waiting room, he was in the midst of a febrile seizure, but Dr. Beeks was able to get him cooled down. And no offense, but you don't look so hot yourself."

"So I've noticed."

"Okay, down to business," Al said as he put his cigar in his teeth, took out the handlink, and started pressing buttons. "You are Xavier Benitez, eighteen months old..."

"I know that!" Sam impatiently cut him off. "I saw how many teeth I had when I looked in the damn mirror!"

"Okay, just relax," Al went on. "You're in West Palm Beach, Florida, and it's 1:30 a.m. on November 1, 1986. Your parents are Maria and Luis Benitez, and you have an older brother named Miguel, who's in second grade at Poinciana Elementary School. Luis is a ped—pedia..." After shaking and smacking the handlink, he continued, "pediatric neurologist at Palm Beach Children's Hospital, and Maria's a substitute teacher for the West Palm Beach school system."

"Okay, now that we have that established, what's my mission?"

"Let's see here," Al said. "Uh-oh, not good, Sam. According to this, on Monday afternoon, Miguel is getting off the school bus when he goes back to get one of his papers that blew under there. He gets run over, and dies in the hospital the next morning."

"Oh, shit!" Sam exclaimed, smacking his forehead. "And what exactly am I supposed to do? In case you haven't noticed, I'm just a baby!"

"You've surprised people before, Sam. Hey, remember Jimmy LaMotta, the guy with Down's syndrome? Well, you performed CPR on your nephew when he almost drowned."

"True."

"And let's not forget how you beat the crap out of that sleazebag attorney when you were Dr. Ruth. That reminds me. I promised her a bridge game after she helped me with my abandonment issues."

"Since when do you play bridge?"

"Since I met Tina. She says her folks used to play it a lot. At any rate, I'll ask Ziggy if she has any ideas."

"Okay," Sam nodded as Al opened the portal door.

"Want me to sing you a lullaby before I go?"

"Not unless you want a handlink up your ass."

"Okay, okay, there's no need to bark at me," Al said defensively. Then as he walked through the portal door, he muttered, "Boy, I'm really starting to miss little Teresa right now."

As Sam drifted off to sleep, he knew he was in for a very stressful leap, mostly be-cause the person he'd leaped into couldn't do much of anything. It reminded him of when he'd leaped into Ron Miller, a Vietnam vet who'd lost both legs in combat, and somehow had to keep a fellow soldier from committing suicide. The only difference was, Ron was an adult, and Xavier was a baby.

They say that sometimes people with certain limitations can develop super-human abilities when they're up against it, and Sam had a gut-feeling that before this leap was over, he was going to have to do just that.

And like Al, he, too, was starting to miss little Teresa.

Back in the waiting room at Project Quantum Leap, Dr. Verbeena Beeks was sitting on the table and holding a very distraught Xavier on her lap. This poor kid was wearing a pair of spotlessly white feet pajamas and screaming his lungs out. No matter how much Dr. Beeks tried to console or distract him, she couldn't calm him down.

Just then, Tina came into the room with a large Easter basket wrapped in plastic. "Happy Easter," she grinned as she set the basket on the table and started unwrapping it. When Xavier saw what she was doing, he managed to pull himself together and looked curiously at the items she was taking out. There were chocolate bunnies, a few peanut butter eggs, jellybeans, M & M's, some pink and yellow marshmallow Peeps, and a small stuffed blue rabbit.

"Bunny!" Xavier exclaimed happily, clapping his hands.

"Oh, you want the bunny?" Dr. Beeks asked. Xavier nodded ecstatically, and she handed it to him. The next thing she knew, he was curled up on her lap with the rabbit in his arms and sucking his thumb. "That must be what he needed."

"How's the kid?" Al asked as he entered the room.

"Well, it was hard to calm him down, until Tina brought in the Easter basket and showed him the bunny," Dr. Beeks explained as she set Xavier on the table and put the basket off to the side.

"Well, he seems happy now," Al commented.

"How's Dr. Beckett?" Tina asked.

"A little cranky."

"I would be, too, if I were him. I'm just glad he didn't leap into another chimp."

"Exactly," Al agreed. "I can only imagine how pissed he'd be if he did."

Just then, Tina sniffed the air and said, "Say, do you smell something?"

"Yup," Dr. Beeks answered, after confirming it herself. "Dirty diaper. I raised three kids of my own, so I'd know that smell anywhere."

She ran to the cabinet at the end of the room, and after a quick search on the bottom shelf, found a package of diapers that looked like they'd fit someone Xavier's size, and a box of baby wipes. After a quick change, he fell asleep on the table. Tina petted his hair, then stopped to feel his forehead.

"He feels warm again," she reported as Dr. Beeks picked up the baby and sat on the table with Xavier in her arms. Tina took a Thermo-Scan out of her pocket and put it in his ear. A few seconds later, she had the reading: 100.2. "We need to keep an eye on him, in case he starts seizing again."

"Right," Dr. Beeks agreed as she ran her hand around Xavier's face before laying him back down. Xavier let out a light whimper as she did so. "It's okay, honey."

"I'll go check on Sam," Al spoke up.

"Good idea," Tina said. Al nodded and headed to the Imaging Chamber.

"Poor little guy's all tuckered out," Dr. Beeks commented before Al left the room.

"Hang in there, Sam," he whispered as he went up the steps to the chamber. "I'm on my way."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

The first thing Al saw upon returning was Sam lying in the crib, clutching a stuffed rabbit similar to the one the real Xavier was holding, and shivering. "You okay, Sam?" he asked. "You feel like you're going to be sick?"

Sam opened his eyes and looked up at him. "Yeah, I'll manage," he answered. "How's Xavier?"

"Well, he was a little freaked out at first, but he started to come around once Tina brought out the Easter basket. And you should've seen that little guy's face light up when he saw the stuffed bunny. It looks just like the one you've got there."

It's Easter at Project Quantum Leap?"

Al nodded. "Easter Sunday, 2016."

"I see," Sam said as he sat up, using some of the crib bars for assistance. "So, has Ziggy come up with any ideas on how I can save Miguel?"

"Hmm...I've got it! Ziggy showed me this YouTube video of a baby performing CPR on a dummy after watching his parents practicing on it."

"What's YouTube?"

"Oh, that's right, it's 1986," Al remembered. "YouTube won't be invented for about another twenty years. Boy, is my face red."

 _"Your_ face is red!" Sam exclaimed. "Look at how I'm dressed!"

"And you still look cute as a button."

"Oh, shut up," Sam grumbled. Then he was silent for a minute before he said, "I'm sorry, Al. I guess this being a baby again is starting to get to me."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Sam," Al reassured him. "I'd feel the same way if I were in your position. Hell, I'd probably make my second wife look like Little Miss Muffet."

"Anyway, how does Ziggy propose I save Miguel?"

"Well, you _do_ have a medical degree," Al pointed out. "You give little Miguel CPR. Since Maria and Luis see you as a toddler, instead of—well, you, that should impress the hell out of them, and make them think their Xavier is a genius. And with your astronomical IQ, that wouldn't be too far off."

Sam thought for a minute. "Sounds do-able," he decided. "Now, since I'm supposed to be a baby, how about letting me get some sleep now?"

"Good idea," Al yawned. "I'm starting to feel a little tuckered out myself."

"Tuckered out?"

"I heard Dr. Beeks say that on my way to the Imaging Chamber," Al explained. With that, the portal door opened again, and he was gone.

 _That just might work,_ Sam thought as he drifted off. After all, like Al said, he did have a medical degree.

When Sam woke up the next morning, he found Luis standing over him and unzipping his sleeper. "You okay, _mijo?"_ he asked as he put the thermometer under Sam's arm.

"I've had better days," Sam answered, but all Luis heard was whimpering.

"I know," Luis said sympathetically as he removed the thermometer. "Well, your fever's gone up to 101. We'll keep an eye on you today, in case you have another seizure."

After Sam was changed and dressed in a diaper and undershirt, Luis picked him up and brought him into the living room, where Miguel, still in his Underoos, was curled up on the end of the couch with a trash can sitting on the floor beside him. "Who's that?" he asked Sam, pointing at the boy.

"Miguel," Sam answered. To him, it sounded like his own regular speech, but to Luis, it wasn't. Luckily, he understood what Sam was saying.

"Good boy," Luis said as he laid Sam on the other end of the couch. Then he asked Miguel, "How are you feeling, _mijo?"_

 _"Horrible_ (pronounced "or-REE-blay")," Miguel answered pitifully as he picked up the trash can and hurled into it. Maria was coming into the living room with some Children's Tylenol and a small glass of orange juice as he set the can back down on the floor.

"Here," Maria said as she gave the pills and juice to her son. "I'll tell you what: you two can stay on the couch and watch cartoons, and if you're not feeling better by Monday, we'll go to the doctor."

"And I was supposed to go to Juan's birthday party today!" Miguel whined.

"I know, Miguel," Maria said gently. _"Lo siento, carino._ I know you were looking forward to it, but it's not a good idea for you to go. We'll call his parents and tell them you can't make it. And we can take that video game you got him to church with us tomo-rrow and give it to him then."

Miguel nodded miserably as he took the Tylenol and a sip of juice. That morning, he and Sam fell asleep watching _Muppet Babies_ and _Pee-Wee's Playhouse_ , under Maria's watchful eye. Al was there, too, and he knelt beside Miguel. "It's too bad you're too old to see me, kid," he whispered. "I'll bet it'd make Sam feel a hell of a lot better."

It was almost noon when Sam felt Maria nudge his shoulder. "Xavier, honey," she whispered. "it's lunchtime. Do you feel like you can eat something?" Nearby, Luis was trying to wake Miguel.

"Maybe a little something," Al suggested. "I've always liked grapes and apple slices myself."

"How about some grapes or apple slices?" Maria suggested. "That's what your _abuela_ used to give me when I was sick."

"Are you sure you folks don't know I'm here?" Al asked as he darted around the room and waved his arms. He thought about launching into "Largo al factotum" from Rossini's _The Barber of Seville,_ but then decided that might be overdoing it.

"I'll go get them, honey," Luis volunteered, and hurried to the kitchen. Maria nodded as she shook the thermometer and put it in Miguel's mouth.

A few minutes later, Luis returned with the snacks, and Maria fed the apple slices to Sam while holding the other thermometer under his arm. "Is that better, honey?" she asked.

"Mm-hm," Sam answered.

"Well, Miguel's temperature is down to 99.8," Luis reported as he removed the thermometer. "How's Xavier?"

"His is going down, too," she said, taking the thermometer out from under Sam's arm and looking at it. "Still, I think we should put them back to bed, just to be on the safe side. And we'll keep a thermometer in each room so we can keep an eye on their temperatures."

"Good idea," Luis agreed as he picked up Miguel, put the thermometer in his shirt pocket, and followed Maria upstairs.

After Sam was settled in the crib, and once Maria was out of the room, Al appeared. "Feeling better?" he asked.

"A little," Sam answered as he shook the thermometer and put it in his mouth. To his surprise, even though he was supposed to be a baby, it stayed in his mouth. After watching the clock for three minutes, he took the thermometer out of his mouth and looked at it: 100.2. _Wonderful,_ he thought. "What's up?"

"Not much. Xavier's still sleeping in the waiting room, and his temperature's still going up and down—pretty much like yours, but so far, he hasn't had another seizure. He's also still holding the stuffed rabbit Tina gave him. It's a damn good thing it's an exact replica of the one you've got there, because if it wasn't, and he brought it back with him, there'd be a LOT of questions to answer."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be good," Sam agreed. "Has the machine been fixed?"

"Gooshie's got it almost done, and it should be ready to go by the time you leap," Al said. "Sammy Jo's been helping him, and should be at the retrieval button when it's time."

"Good deal. What's the family doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's Sunday," Al reminded him as he consulted the handlink. "They'll be attending the church across town, and Maria and Luis have nursery duty that day, since it's the first Sunday of the month. By the way, can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Sam said as he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, hugged the teddy bear to his chest, and prepared to lay down.

"Try to make yourself small, so the other kids don't see you as—well, you. That's the problem with animals and kids younger than five. They don't see you as the person you leap into."

"That's easier said than done, but I'll give it a shot."

"Okay."

The handlink started squeaking just then, and after Al smacked and looked at it, he went on, "Oh, one more thing. Ziggy says there's a little girl named Angelia Rodriguez who's always picking on Xavier. She's four years old, and she's basically sweet on the outside, but full of piss and vinegar. And Ziggy also says Angelia's in the preschool program at the King's Academy here in West Palm Beach."

"Wow," Sam said. "Thanks for the tip."

"I need to get back to Xavier, but I'll be back soon," Al promised as he opened the portal door.

As Al vanished through the portal door and Sam went back to sleep, he thought about what Al had instructed him to do. The only problem was, unless the nursery walls were covered in mirrors, how would the other kids see Xavier instead of him?

Early the next morning, Sam woke up to find Maria putting the thermometer under his arm. _Please let this be good news,_ he thought in dread as Maria removed the thermometer.

"Well, your fever's gone," she smiled as she looked at the thermometer. "What do you say we get you ready for church, huh?"

"Okay," Sam agreed, and Maria lifted him out of the crib to get him ready.

Church was pretty uneventful—both in the sanctuary and the nursery downstairs. None of the other kids saw Sam as himself instead of Xavier, because as he'd hoped, the walls did have mirrors all over them. The only problem he did have was with a little blond girl who kept hitting him in the back of the head every chance she got.

"Hey, stop that!" Sam shouted angrily, but all everyone else heard was crying.

"Angelia!" Maria said sternly as she marched over, grabbed the little girl's wrists, and pulled her away from Sam as Luis rushed over and wrapped him in a hug. Next, Maria knelt down to the little girl's level and started very quietly scolding her in Spanish.

 _Wow,_ Sam thought as he sat on Luis' lap and watched Maria put Angelia in time-out. _When I was Xavier's age, all I ever heard was, "Just ignore So-and-So, and they'll stop." And Al definitely would've scared the holy hell out of that little brat if he were here._ Besides being grateful to Maria for helping him out, he was also very impressed with how quickly she did so.

After church, the family met up with Luis' mother. "So, are we still on for dinner Tuesday night?" Luis asked.

 _"Si._ And I'm still available to baby-sit while you and Maria do your errands this afternoon," Mrs. Benitez answered. Then she asked the boys, "How are my little _nietos?"_

"Feeling much better," Maria answered. "They both woke up sick in the middle of the night on Friday, and were sick all day yesterday, too. I took their temperatures before we left for church this morning, and they seemed fine, but I don't know."

"Not to worry, _querido,"_ Mrs. Benitez reassured her as she took Sam from her arms. "I'm sure they'll be fine, but I'll check them again, just in case."

 _"Gracias,"_ Maria said gratefully. After giving Sam and Miguel quick hugs and kisses, and reminding them to behave, she followed Luis to their car as Mrs. Benitez took the boys in her own car.

When they got home, Mrs. Benitez took the boys' temperatures again, as promised. Both were normal, much to her relief, but no one was more relieved than Sam.

They were just finishing lunch: chicken salad sandwiches with carrot and green pepper sticks—and yes, Al was wishing he wasn't a hologram so he could partake—when the doorbell rang. "I'll be right back," Mrs. Benitez told the boys as she sent them into the living room before answering the door. A minute or so later, she returned with a college-age girl with dark brown waist-length hair and hazel eyes. "Hey, boys, look who's here."

 _"Tia Gabriela!"_ Miguel exclaimed.

 _"Hola,"_ she smiled.

"Hel- _loooo,"_ Al purred with a devilish grin on his face. "So, what are you studying?"

"The boys have been sick all weekend," Mrs. Benitez told her daughter as she hung up her jacket and purse. "They're feeling better, but Maria and Luis still want us to moni-tor their temperatures."

"Thanks for the heads-up," Gabriela said as she picked Sam up and laid the back of her hand on his forehead. "Well, he's not burning up, but he does feel a little warm."

"Oh, great," Al groaned as Sam sighed and laid his head on Gabriela's shoulder. "Just what he needs right now."

"Maria said that he had a fever-seizure the other night," Mrs. Benitez said, handing Gabriela a thermometer, which she put under Sam's arm.

"A hundred even," Gabriela read after removing it.

"Shit," Sam whispered in frustration, but all the women heard was whimpering, as he laid his head on Gabriela's shoulder. He wasn't happy at all to hear this, but he wasn't surprised, either.

 _"Pobre bebe,"_ Mrs. Benitez said sympathetically as Gabriela stroked Sam's hair. "Can you take him up to bed?"

 _"Si,"_ Gabriela answered, picking Sam up. Al pressed the side button on the handlink and vanished in an instant.

 _Boy, if it isn't one thing, it's another,_ Sam thought. _Whoever this Murphy guy is that came up with the law about anything that can go wrong sure knew what he was talking about._

After Gabriela put Sam in the crib and left the room, Al appeared. "I'm right here, Sam," he said softly. "How are you holding up?"

"Well, other than my temperature going haywire, okay," Sam admitted. "What's up?"

"Well, tomorrow's Monday, first of all," Al reminded him. "That's the day the accident's supposed to take place."

"Oh, wonderful," Sam grumbled. "You know, I've heard of Murphy's law, but this is ridiculous."

"Now, hold on," Al told him. "There's a reason why your fever keeps going up and down like this. Not only do you and Xavier share a psychic link, but Tina told me Xavier's teething, and that sometimes happens with babies who have febrile seizures. With any luck, you'll be fine tomorrow. You can still save Miguel's life, and then leap home. Like I said, we've fixed the machine so that can happen."

Upon hearing that, Sam curled up in a ball and faced away from Al as tears came to his eyes. The next thing Al heard was a deep, loud sniffle.

"Hey, it's okay, buddy," Al said soothingly as he tried to touch Sam's shoulder, even though he knew his hand would go right through it. "I know you're homesick. I would be, too, if I were you. Look at it this way: after tomorrow, you'll leap, and if everything works, you'll finally be home."

Sam wiped his eyes and nodded. He was tired, both physically and emotionally. All he wanted was for this whole ordeal to be over with.

Just then, the door opened, and Maria came into the room. _"Estoy aqui, Xavier,"_ she whispered as she felt his forehead. "No fever now. Looks like we're past the worst of it." Then as she picked him up, she felt his diaper. "All dry."

"Hear that, Sam?" Al asked as she laid him back in the crib and left. "Didn't I say you'd be okay?"

That was the best news Sam had heard all day.

 _Now, all I have to do is get Miguel and Xavier through tomorrow,_ Sam thought as he hugged the stuffed rabbit to his chest and fell asleep. _Maybe either sickness, or a freak snowstorm will close all the schools tomorrow._

Obviously wishful thinking on Sam's part, but as Al went back through the portal door and he drifted off to sleep, he knew he needed to find a way to save his brother's life. And fast.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is the last chapter.

 **CHAPTER 3**

The next morning, Maria woke Sam and got him changed and dressed. "Hey, guess what?" she smiled. "I don't have to work today, so I thought we'd spend the day together."

"Okay," Sam agreed as she put him in the high chair and a bowl of oatmeal in front of him.

After breakfast, Maria put Sam in the playpen and got started on some much-needed housework, during which Sam spent most of the time going back and forth between playing with some of the toys and throwing some out. What he was trying to do was get Maria's attention and warn her about Miguel's upcoming accident, but predictably, she thought he was just playing a game with her.

 _God, where the hell is Al?_ he thought in frustration.

They spent the day like any mother and toddler would: grocery shopping, lunch at a local diner, making a deposit at the bank, things like that. In fact, Sam even managed to take a short nap in the carseat on the way home. He was also wracking his brain, trying to figure out how to tell Maria that something very catastrophic was just hours away from happening.

When they returned home, they saw Luis getting out of his car. "Hi, _miel,"_ Maria said as they gave each other a kiss. "You're home early."

"I only had two surgeries today, but I'm on call, just in case they need me for any more," Luis explained as he took the grocery bag from Maria, and they went inside. "How was your day?"

"Oh, the usual," Maria answered as they finished putting the groceries away and went back outside. "Could you keep an eye on Xavier while I do some yard work?"

"Sure. I'll go ahead and put the baby gate up," Luis said.

 _"Gracias,"_ Maria answered as Luis put the gate across the porch and fastened it.

A few minutes later, Luis was sitting on the porch swing, watching Sam play with some of the toys while Maria raked some leaves and pulled a few dandelions. Before too long, Luis stood up, picked Sam up, and unlocked the gate.

Just then, the portal opened and an out-of-breath Al rushed out as Luis was stepping off the bottom step. "Oh, good, you're here," he panted. "Sam, we've got a big problem. Ziggy says Miguel's bus is on its way over here right now. You've got to get these folks' attention and warn them!"

"What the hell do you think I've been doing?" Sam whispered. "Al, nothing I say or do is registering with them!"

"Well, you'd better think of something!" Al told him as he consulted the handlink. "That kid's going to be a human tortilla in less than a minute!"

Just then, Gabriela came up the street on her bike and skidded to a stop, having come from the community college. She took off her helmet and hung it off one of the handlebars. "Hi," she called as she put the kickstand down and strapped her book bag to the rack.

That's when the school bus stopped in front of the house, and Miguel started down the steps. No sooner had he reached the bottom, the paper he was holding blew out of his hand. "My spelling test!" he cried as he watched the paper fly under the bus.

What happened next is something one expected to see on _Ripley's Believe It Or Not_ or _That's Incredible!_ Yanking his arm free from Luis' grasp, Sam jumped over the rosebush like an Olympic track star, ran to where the bus was, and grabbed Miguel at the _exact instant_ the boy bent down to pick up the paper—which the bus ran over as it drove away.

For a moment, all the adults—including Al, who saw the whole thing—stood there in shocked silence as the shredded remains of Miguel's paper wafted upward and softly floated to the ground.

"Holy shit," Al whispered, his eyes as big as saucers. "Ziggy, tell me you saw that." The handlink gave an affirmative squeak.

"Xavier, I—I can't...I don't...how did...?" Miguel stammered. He was struggling to say a complete sentence, but was just too beside himself with disbelief.

"Are you all right?" Sam asked as he set Miguel down. Even though Miguel only heard baby babble instead of actual speech, he nodded. It was like he understood what Sam was saying.

Maria and Luis rushed out to where the boys were, and ushered them toward the house. "Are you guys okay?" Luis asked anxiously. And that was all it took for Miguel's voice to come back, loud and clear.

"Did you see _that?"_ he exclaimed. "If it wasn't for Xavier, that paper would've been my head! And that was the first 100 I got on a spelling test, too! I was going to surprise you!"

"Shh, it's okay, _mijo,"_ Luis comforted his son. "It's all over now. You're okay."

"Do you think we need to take them to the hospital to be checked over?" Maria asked worriedly.

"I don't think that'll be necessary," Luis answered, "but I do think we should get them inside. They've had quite a shock, especially Miguel."

"I'll say," Gabriela agreed as she gave Sam a kiss on the cheek. "You're a real hero, Xavier."

"He sure is," Miguel agreed solemnly. "You saved my life, _hermanito."_ And he patted Sam's back.

It was definitely a Kodak moment.

Well, things calmed down pretty soon after that. Soon after Gabriela went home, Sam and Luis settled down in the living room to watch _Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood—_ Luis on the couch and Sam in the playpen, and Miguel started his homework, even though Sam couldn't help noticing that he was squinting at his paper every so often.

"It's okay, son," Maria said. "We'll call Dr. Howell first thing in the morning, and see when you can get your eyes checked."

At that, a clearly frustrated Miguel folded his arms on the table and laid his head on his arms. It was pretty obvious that he he was forcing himself not to cry. "I'm sure everything's okay. You just might need glasses," she reassured him as she petted his hair. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Although Miguel was still upset about how much trouble he was having, he nodded.

As Maria helped Miguel with his homework, Al appeared beside the playpen. "God, that was great, Sam!" he marveled. "I couldn't have done it any better myself!"

"Thanks, Al," Sam said, relieved that he'd succeeded in his mission. Not only was Miguel safe, but it also meant that he wouldn't have to be a baby for too much longer. "So, what happens now?"

"Well, for starters, both Miguel and Xavier are the salutatorian of their respective graduation classes, and Xavier grows up to teach high school physics in Albuquerque. Oh, and I have a surprise for you."

He held out his hand. In a matter of seconds, standing beside him was a slightly heavyset doctor who looked like he was in his late thirties with a slight hint of a goatee and gold-rimmed glasses. "Sam," Al announced. "I'd like you to meet Dr. Miguel Benitez, our chief neurologist at Project Quantum Leap."

Dr. Benitez leaned over and whispered something to Al. "Can he hear you?" Al repeated. "Well, try saying something."

"Hi," Dr. Benitez said. And there was no doubt that Sam heard him perfectly.

"Hi, Dr. Benitez," Sam answered. "I'm Dr. Sam Beckett."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Beckett," Dr. Benitez smiled. "I've heard a lot of good things about you, and I hope we get to meet again soon."

"So do I."

Dr. Benitez nodded, then released Al's arm and disappeared.

"Anything else I should know?" Sam asked.

"Oh, you'll really like this," Al said as he consulted the handlink. "Maria and Luis retire in 2013 and move to Santa Fe to be closer to their sons, and Xavier meets a woman named Olivia. They have a son, who's also named Sam, and he's the same age Xavier was when you leaped into him."

"That's great, Al," Sam said.

"Well, looks like you're all done here."

Sam nodded as the blue haze surrounded him, and he was off to right another wrong.

Or so he thought.

The next thing Sam knew, he was standing in a hallway, and right in front of him was a door to a men's room. He hurried in, then leaned against the wall so he could catch his breath. That's when he noticed a mirror on the way. Right away, as if he were on auto-pilot, he walked over to it, bracing himself for whoever would be looking back at him.

But this time, when he looked into it, he saw his own reflection. _Damn, I've really aged,_ he thought.

And aged he had. His usually-brown hair was now gray with a few white streaks in it, and he was wearing a white shirt, tan khakis and socks, and brown loafers. Upon seeing this, his hopes soared.

"Oh, boy!" he cried ecstatically. "Oh, boy-oh-boy!"

Could it be?

 **THE END**


End file.
